Wapping's on the way back: new loft-style flats

Long-delayed refurbishment of historic warehouses aims to take Wapping back to the slot it occupied in the Eighties — as Docklands’ most fashionable quarter.

Wednesday 6 November 2013 12:30 BST

Before the rise of Canary Wharf, Wapping was the number one address for riverside living. Nowhere else could match its charm and maritime authenticity — the Georgian gem of St Katharine Docks; the cobbled high street with its famous inns and listed wharves including Execution Dock, where the Admiralty used to hang pirates.

But when the money men moved to Canary Wharf in the Nineties, developers switched their attention to the Isle of Dogs, where sites were plentiful and profits fatter. Wapping was thrust into quiet isolation and, as time moved on, it was left behind, with little improvement to its restaurant and retail scene.

After decades of neglect, a listed river-facing warehouse next to Wapping Underground station is being converted into 37 loft-style apartments and penthouses. The building at 136 Wapping Wall will have a grand, hotel-like foyer plus a private communal roof terrace and street-level commercial space. Prices from £995,000. Call Galliard on 020 7620 1500.